INNER-CITY NEWS

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

Financial Justice a Key at 2016 Convention Members of Black and Puerto RicanFocus Caucus Seek to DerailNAACP Judicial Re-Confirmation New Haven, Bridgeport

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Ansonia Honors Martin Luther King Jr. THE INNER-CITY NEWS

APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

By Ethan Fry

New Haven Independent

Ansonia celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Wednesday fifty years to the day after he was slain.

About 100 people gathered inside the city’s Armory on North Cliff Street to remember the icon of nonviolence and civil rights and to see a replica of a monument to King that will stand next to City Hall.

The Macedonia Baptist Church’s Rev. Alfred Smith called it a “magic moment.”

“We’re only the second city in the whole state of Connecticut to have one, which is a shame,” Smith said of the planned monument. “It will be a symbol of racial harmony, which is exactly what he stood for.”

A plaster replica of the bronze bust of king that will stand on a six-foot pedestal in Veterans Park was unveiled Wednesday.

Throughout the event speakers and performers extolled King’s faith, his civil rights work, and the day he was killed in 1968.

Mayor David Cassetti said he remembered watching news reports of King’s assassination on TV and how even as a child understanding King’s importance.

The city has contributed $2,000 to a fund for the monument, Cassetti said.

ETHAN FRY PHOTO

State Rep. Linda Gentile, State Sen. George Logan, and Mayor David Cassetti present a citation to Vasil Rakaj, an artist making a bronze bust of Martin Luther King Jr.

About $5,500 has been raised so far, the mayor said. A total of $20,000 is being sought.

“I think this is very important,” Cassetti said. “Not for only African-Americans or Latinos, but for all people.”

As Valley NAACP Greg Johnson said, King’s example is needed more than ever.

“We’re still struggling,” Johnson said.

“We’re celebrating, but we’re still struggling.”

Which is why he said the memorial to him will be significant in a city with a history dotted with tenser times.

“When it is unveiled, in a town that has had high profile racial tensions, this is a positive step in the right direction,” Johnson said.

The memorial will be made by Vasil Rakaj, an Ansonia resident and artist.

The original idea came from Brandon Edwards, an eighth-grader at Ansonia Middle School, who wrote an essay about the effort.

A classmate, Khmareon Cook, moved the audience with a rendition of “You Are My Strength,” one of a number of tributes to King’s faith.

The Macedonia Baptist Church’s Bruce Goldson hosted Wednesday’s event.

Other speakers and performers included Pastor Edward Barnes of Greater Evangel Temple, Macedonia Baptist Church’s Deacon Dave Gatison, New Haven resident Taevon Moore, and CEO David Morgan of TEAM Inc., which is helping in the fundraising effort.

State Sen. George Logan and state Rep. Linda Gentile presented a citation to Rakaj, a native of Albania whose prior work includes several statues of Mother Theresa.

Logan quoted King urging others to ask “life’s most persistent and urgent question: what are you doing for others?”

Retired Ansonia High School Principal Terri Goldson also quoted King while urging those gathered to live by his example.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,” Goldson said.

Rakaj said afterward it will take about six months to make the monument, but that it will be the product of a life’s work.

Fair Haveners To Strong School Proposal: No Thanks

by ALLAN APPEL

New Haven Independent

The operator of a shelter in Phoenix, Arizona, came to Fair Haven and pitched a plan to convert the long-vacant Strong School into a shelter for homeless young people.

“We want your blessing to purchase this building,” said Kendall Hurse.

Instead of a blessing, he received skepticism and a cold shoulder.

Hurse and his business partner Bernard Macklin made their brief presentation before 40 people at the regular monthly meeting of the Fair Haven Management team this past Thursday night at the Blatchley Avenue substation.

Hurse, who said he operates a statefunded 79-bed shelter facility in Phoenix, has a Dixwell Avenue address on his business card His pitch was blunt: “I don’t like rhetoric. We need to help our youth.

We have a program that works. We

need a place that works. We need to be realistic about what programs we put in the building.”

He then went on to describe plumbing, certified nurse’s aide, and phlebotomy job-training programs in place at his Arizona facility. “We are asking for three representatives of this community to be part of our effort. We ask nothing of the city but your building to use. We want you to be part of the final package and programs we present to the city.”

In the brief Q & A that followed, it became clear that, in the phrase of one member of the audience, the proposers had not done their homework.

“We already have two or three shelters in the area already,” said Fair Haven Alder Jose Crespo. “An additional facility is not what this community is looking for.”

“Yes, but it’s not a youth program,” replied Hurse, although it is not clear which shelters in Fair Haven he was

Alder Ernie Santiago questions would-be developers.

referring to. “Also a teen pregnancy program. We’re not talking about giving them [just] a bed, but services and other youth and adults can take what’s offered in the building.”

Another questioner asked the age of the kids to whom he proposed to offer

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the services. Hurse replied, “Young adult, 18 to 25. But you decide what age. We ain’t going to make all the decisions.”

Chatham Square organizer Lee Cruz questioned Macklin and Hurse as to whether they knew about Youth Con-

tinuum already operating on Grand Avenue.

Hurse said he was aware of it. He said he had brought his pitch to City Hall, where Steve Fontana, deputy director of economic development, sent them to make their presentation to the management team.

Cruz pointed out that a lot of homeless kids make their way downtown, not to the Fair Haven area. Teacher David Weinberg queried the proposers whether their program had any focus on LGBT kids, who are making up an increasing part of the homeless teen population.

Hurse did not have a clear answer except to say, “We want them to be employable.”

Another speaker asked Hurse and Macklin to consider lowering the age of their target audience, which they said they could do.

Cruz said that what struck him was

THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

Malloy Nominates Robinson To Chief Justice

by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced his intention to elevate Supreme Court Justice Richard Robinson to chief justice Thursday.

Robinson’s nomination comes after the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald failed to win enough support in the Senate.

Malloy said he’s known Robinson since at least 1984. The two worked in Stamford together and Malloy was the one who elevated him to the Supreme Court in 2013. Robinson was first appointed to Superior Court in 2000 and was then elevated to the Appellate Court in 2007.

Malloy also elevated Steven Ecker to become an associate justice of the Supreme Court to fill the seat currently held by Robinson.

Following the defeat of his first nomination, Malloy said he didn’t change anything about how he evaluated the justices he nominated Thursday.

“If I did that I would be falling into the trap I’m criticizing other people of falling into,” Malloy said.

Robinson is the third most senior person on the bench and his confirmation would be another milestone as the first African-American chief justice in Connecticut.

Before serving as a judge, Robinson was president of the NAACP’s Stamford chapter and served as chair of the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Malloy said he’s proud of the diversity he’s brought to the bench over the past seven years.

“The court should look like the people who appear before it,” Malloy said. “I think we made great strides in that direction. To have a black man lead the court is a good and wonderful thing.”

Malloy said he was disturbed about what was said about judicial nominations last night at the Republican gubernatorial debate in New Britain. “ Republican candidates agreed that they abandoned our long standing process of appointing and considering judicial appointments based on a judges qualifications and not their judicial philosophy or political affiliation,” Malloy said. “We saw an unapologetic embrace of politicization of the courts system.

Make no mistake about it, ‘activist judge’ is a thinly veiled guise of applying a litmus test on judicial nominees.”

Judges are renominated every eight years until the mandatory retirement age of 70. Traditionally, governors have renominated judges originally nominated by other governors.

Republican candidates for governor

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE

Justice Richard Robinson is nominated by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy

said they wouldn’t uphold that tradition and would look at the record of every judge before renominating them.

Malloy said Republicans are “seeking to constipate legal thought,” because now justices have to worry about their ability to progress through the system based on the decisions they make.

Republican Senators said it was McDonald’s decision on the death penalty and a handful of other cases that led to

their votes against his confirmation.

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano said last week that he thinks Robinson would be a good person to lead the Supreme Court.

“This isn’t about decisions because I don’t agree with all of his decisions,” Fasano said Thursday. “But as a total package I think that he is a very wellrespected good guy as a judge and as a person and I think he can do the job.”

Fasano said unless there’s something he doesn’t know about he looks forward to supporting Robinson.

Unlike McDonald, Robinson was not one of the seven justices to hear the death penalty case, also known as State v. Santiago. He did however uphold the reversal of the death penalty in State v. Peeler, which was decided one year after the Santiago ruling. Peeler and Santiago were two of the 11 men left on death row when the General Assembly repealed the death penalty in 2012.

Malloy said the Republican treatment of judicial independence has caused some to withdraw their name from consideration from the judicial approval process. It’s unknown how many have removed their names from consideration because the Judicial Selection vetting process is secret.

In addition to Robinson and Ecker, Malloy nominated another five attorneys to the Superior Court, including former state Sen. Eric Coleman.

Coleman decided not to take the oath of office in 2016 after winning re-election in the hopes of a judicial nomination.

Nuala Droney of Robinson and Cole, Ann Lynch, an assistant attorney general, Margarita Hartley Moore, who is a solo practitioner, and James Sicilian of Day Pitney were also nominated to the Superior Court Thursday.

Members of Black and Puerto Rican Caucus Seek to Derail Judicial Re-Confirmation

by Bhumika Choudhary CT. Junkie News

HARTFORD, CT — In a last ditch effort to sway public opinion, some members of the Black and Latino Caucus expressed concerns Monday regarding the re-confirmation of Judge Jane B. Emons of Woodbridge.

As with many family court judges who seek re-confirmation, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, D-Hartford, strongly objected to Emons, a Superior Court judge for eight years.

Gonzalez said that 29 complaints have been filed with the Judicial Review Council against Emons, however, all the cases have been dismissed.

“This is the highest number of complaints given my 18 years in the Judiciary Committee and is the highest number of complaints I have ever seen or heard in my entire 22 years here at the House,” Gonzalez added. “It is a poor choice to let Judge Emons be reappointed.”

Emons explained to Sen. Ed Gomes, DBridgeport, during the Judiciary Committee public hearing in February that all complaints were dismissed because there was no evidence of unethical conduct.

Emons said, “One gentleman alone

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE

Rep. Minnie Gonzalez of Hartford

filed nine of those complaints in the same case. In another case, two people filed a grievance in the same case. In another case, one person filed two grievances within I think about six months of each other.”

Paul Greenan, an attorney at the Greenan Law Firm LLC, criticized Emons for

her legal underpinnings and her understanding of family law.

“Many of my colleagues are afraid to speak publicly,” Greenan said. “They fear, I suppose, retribution if Judge Jane Emons is reappointed and they must bring their clients before her again.”

Greenan dispelled the notion that indi-

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viduals like him seeking to improve the family court system are “disgruntled, crazy litigants.” He said it’s a label commonly applied to him and others who seek to challenge the status quo.

Greenan said that Emons pattern of conduct includes bullying, suppression of evidence, ignoring the rules of procedure, off the record hearings, and decisions rendered with little or no basis in factual or legal reality among others.

“All the conduct has resulted in her being the most appealed and most overturned family judges sitting on the bench today,” said Greenan.

House leadership expects there to be a vote, but it is unclear if it will happen Tuesday.

Emons was first nominated by former Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell in 2010.

Malloy re-nominated Emons this year.

Her eight year term expires on May 5.

Kelly Donnelly, a spokeswoman for Malloy, said the governor continues to support Emons confirmation.

“The legislative process is designed to allow all voices to be heard regarding the appointment or reappointment of a specific nominee,” Donnelly said. “We appreciate all those who participate and lend their voice. With respect to this par-

ticular judge, we agree with the majority of the Judiciary Committee who voted her reappointment out of committee and the Judicial Selection Commission, which deemed her qualified, and we believe that she should be confirmed.”

Gayle Carr, an attorney with Cohen and Thomas, submitted testimony in support of Emons’ confirmation.

“I have found New Haven to be the most difficult venue for the bench,” Carr said.

“In New Haven Court, pro se litigants regularly show little or no respect for the individual wearing the robe. Litigants have responded to the judiciary with contempt, profanity and obscene gestures.”

Frederic Siegal, an attorney with Seigel, Reilly, & Kaufman in Stamford, said he’s aware of the personal attacks that have been made against Emons.

“These attacks are horrific on many levels and hurt the judiciary as a whole,” Siegel wrote in his testimony.

A billboard on I-91 asked motorists to call their lawmakers and tell them to vote against Emons, who has been available for re-confirmation since February.

The Judiciary Committee voted 30-3 in favor of re-confirming Emons to the bench.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

Statewide Candidates Speed-Date Latinos

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK New Haven Independent

The challenge: convince well-connected Hispanic politicos why you’re the best candidate to represent them in statewide office — and do it in under one minute.

That round of speed-dating, involving four potential governors, three treasurers, two attorney generals, one comptroller and the Connecticut Hispanic Democratic Caucus, took place Wednesday night at a New Haven gathering at the Greek Olive on Long Wharf .

“As a Latino community, for those that have been involved in political life for all these years, we want to make sure that we support the people that think about our community and that are interested in making sure that everyone in Connecticut has a better quality of life. Latinos, people of color, our numbers are growing, and we have a voice,” said Yolanda Castillo, the caucus’s vice-chair and a member of Manchester’s Democratic Town Committee. “Think of our community, because our community is in need.”

With the clock racing, the crowded field of Democratic candidates tried to differentiate themselves by giving similar short pitches, touching on their resistance to the Trump administration and the kitchen-table issue of good jobs. A couple threw in rehearsed lines of Spanish.

Currently, no Hispanics are officially running for statewide office. Connecticut has never elected one. Yet Latinos comprise the fastest-growing segment of the population; Latinos involved in politics have been pushing their parties to diversify their tickets.

The four 2018 Democratic candidates for governor, two for attorney general and one for comptroller who showed up Wednesday night are all white. The candidates for treasurer included an African-American man, a man of Sri Lankan descent and an Indian-American woman. Eva Bermudez Zimmerman, a union organizer in Newtown considering a run for lieutenant governor or secretary of the state, was the one Latina who spoke to the voters.

Despite the lack of representation on the ticket, the candidates all know that Hispanic voters will be a powerful voting bloc that could play a role in deciding the front-runners from among a wide field of candidates. At the end of the meeting, the caucus

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTOS Next governor? Jonathan Harris, Sean Connolly, Susan Bysiewicz and Guy Smith at the Greek Olive.

Kevin Diaz, a New Haven police commissioner, speaks with Kevin Lembo, the state comptroller.

members started counting up the delegates they’ll send to the Democratic convention next month, where candidates need to draw at least 15 percent support to make it on the primary ballot.

In conversations with a reporter during a meet-and-greet hour, some of the candidates struggled to get specific about what they plan to do for the Hispanic community.

All those aiming for the governor’s mansion expressed a willingness to revisit the Connecticut Trust Act, which prohibits state law enforcement

from coordinating with federal immigration agents — with seven broad exceptions, like if the target has had a felony conviction, been identified as a gang member or terrorist, or appeared to be an “unacceptable risk to public safety.” Advocates, like the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance’s Alok Bhatt, argue that loopholes are leading to courthouse arrests. Sean Connolly was the only one who hesitated, saying it didn’t fit with his “style [of] collaboration” to get into a dispute with the feds.

Several candidates also said they’d

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be open to funding legal aid for immigrants facing deportation cases. In 4,000 cases involving New Haven County residents, legal representation proved to be a strong predictor for who won relief from an immigration judge.

During the pitch to the caucus members, most focused on amping up the crowd.

Jonathan Harris, a former state senator, state consumer protection chief, and West Hartford mayor, kept his pitch short with less than 10 words.

“Tough times, challenges: we can do this,” he said. “Go, fight, win!”

Speaking with the Independent, Harris enumerated a much longer list of what he’d done for the state’s Hispanic population. As a legislator, he introduced a bill allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at public universities. (Jodi Rell vetoed it; Dan Malloy later signed a similar version.) As head of consumer protection, Harris convinced Medicaid to reimburse payments for medical interpreters, cracked down on notarios without a law license and simplified language on the department’s forms to be more readily understandable to non-English speakers.

Sean Connolly, the former state commissioner of veteran services, said that newcomers today should have the same opportunity that his Irish grandparents found in Connecticut.

“My father came 52 years ago to our great state, bought and operated his own landscaping business and had his career in Connecticut, I’m running because too many people I’ve encountered said those opportunities don’t exist here in Connecticut anymore. We need to ensure and expand that opportunity: a fair shot for everybody, no matter who you are.”

He closed with a sentence in Spanish that earned cheers: “Ellos están

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

Campaign Launched For Female Detainees

by THOMAS BREEN New Haven Independent

Keesa Figgs-Desilva found herself locked up in pre-trial detention because she couldn’t afford the $5,000 bail bond. Then a New Haven-based bail fund helped her pay off the bond, return home to her children, fight her court case from outside of prison, and ultimately get all of the charges against her dropped.

Now New Haveners are ponying up to help other women also behind bars for the crime of lacking money to post bail.

Figgs-Desilva shared her story on Saturday night during the kick-off event for the Connecticut Bail Fund’s Mother’s Day campaign: a monthlong endeavor to raise money to help free incarcerated women and girls who are held in pre-trial detention and immigration detention, as well as to provide a platform for those women to share their stories about what life is like for mothers behind bars.

Around 150 people attended the event, which was held at Bregamos Community Theater in Fair Haven and featured music, food from CitySeed’s Sanctuary Kitchen, a station for writing letters to incarcerated

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Keesa Figgs-Desilva and niece Nicole Kennedy at Saturday night’s fundraiser in Fair Haven.

women, and a panel discussion with seven formerly incarcerated women, most of whom had spent some time behind bars at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic.

Run by New Haveners Brett Davidson and Ana María Rivera-Forastieri, the Connecticut Bail Fund was founded in 2016 to ensure that people arrest-

ed for alleged low-level, non-violent offenses don’t have to sit behind bars simply because they cannot afford bail as they wait for their court dates to arrive.

The Mother’s Day campaign is a collaboration between the bail fund and a variety of local criminal justice reform and immigration rights activist

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groups, including the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA), the Sex Workers & Allies Network (SWAN), Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), and the Central Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America.

Davidson and Rivera-Forastieri said their goal is to raise $30,000 and to free over 30 women from pre-trial detention and immigration detention

by Mother’s Day, on May 13. RiveraForastieri said they had already raised $3,500 for the campaign in the three or four days leading up to the kick-off event, and that an anonymous local donor had promised to match their fundraising efforts with an additional $10,000 once they hit the $10,000 mark on their own. Rivera-Forastieri told the Independent after the event that they had raised $3,800, primarily in small donations, at the kick-off.

Figgs-Desilva told the audience during Saturday night’s panel discussion that she was arrested in Fair Haven’s Clinton Park last year after she and her husband were kicked out of their Fillmore Street apartment and had nowhere else to go.

She said the police found her with 39 different IDs in her bag, which she claimed had been put there by a

roommate who had set her up. The police charged her with identity theft, violation of probation, and disturbing the peace. She was sent to York Correctional Institution and had a $5,000 bond put on her release.

“Being up there, I felt so hopeless,” she said.

She said she had spent the past few decades in and out of jail. The mother of 21 children (10 boys and 11 girls), Figgs-Desilva gave birth to twins while behind bars in 2002. She said her grandmother died while she was in prison in 2005, and her mother died while she was in prison in 2006.

Figgs-Desilva despaired at the prospect of doing even more jail time for crimes she had not committed.

Then Davidson visited her up in Niantic. He told her not to settle for a plea deal, and promised to pay the bond.

“In the back of my mind, I was thinking, there’s no way he’s going to bond me,” she said with tears in her eyes.

“It’s all a show.”

Sure enough, Davidson came through with the money. Figgs-Desilva was able to return to New Haven, and she and her lawyer succeeded in getting Con’t on page 9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

Head of Fiscal Commission Considers Gubernatorial Bid

by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

HARTFORD, CT — The co-chair of the Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Development is considering a Republican bid for governor amid criticism that he used his appointment to the commission as a launching pad for a campaign.

Jim Smith, the former president of Webster Bank, said he has a “keen interest in public service,” which was reinforced by his work on the commission.

“I believe to my core that I would bring to the Governor’s office the experience, leadership skills and commitment needed to work with the legislature to bring about the changes needed to put our state government

and economy back on solid footing, and ensure a prosperous future for everyone who calls our wonderful state home,” Smith said Friday morning in a statement.

Smith didn’t say whether he was definitely going to run, but said he’s having conversations.

“Recognizing that time is short, I’ve been rapidly completing a serious analysis of what it would take to win the nomination and the ensuing election from building a first-rate campaign team, to raising a considerable amount of funding, to meeting the criteria to secure the Republican nomination,” Smith said.

Lori Pelletier, president of the AFLCIO, said Smith even hinting at a run eliminates any ounce of credibility the

CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO

Jim Smith

commission may have had.

“It’s obvious he was using this as a launching pad for his campaign,” Pelletier said Friday morning at the AFLCIO convention in Hartford.

There are already 15 Republicans who are vying for the nomination or trying to petition their way onto the August primary ballot.

Smith, who lives in Middlebury, just joined the Republican Party.

In 2011, Smith changed his party affiliation from Democrat to the Independent Party and as recently as March 21 from Independent to Republican.

The road to an endorsement is complicated. Smith would not be able to collect signatures from Republican

voters to gain ballot access by petitioning his way onto the Republican primary ballot because he’s not a member of the party yet.

The state has a three-month cooling off period for people who change their party affiliation, so he wouldn’t be able to file as a Republican candidate until June 21.

The Republican convention will be held the second week in May, so that also complicates his path to the ballot because it comes before he’s officially able to even be considered a Republican.

Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appointed Smith to the commission.

Malloy’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Lawmakers Tardy In Reviewing Their Own Sexual Harassment Policies

by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

HARTFORD, CT — Allegations of sexual harassment in a Congresswoman’s office grabbed headlines and may have helped remind Connecticut legislative leaders they promised to examine their own sexual harassment policies.

In January, Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, said legislative leaders planned to introduce legislation through the Joint Committee on Legislative Management and hold a public hearing on the sexual harassment policy for the state Capitol complex.

No such legislation was ever introduced and the Joint Committee on Legislative Management never met.

It will be the six session in a row that the committee has failed to meet and raise any issues.

Legislative leaders from both parties said they didn’t forget. They just haven’t had time to get together and discuss the current policy which was adopted in July 2014.

Senate Democratic leadership and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said Monday that they plan to hold some type of public hearing on April 16 to address the issue.

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Senate President Martin Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff last year outside the governor’s office

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“It’s in the works,” Klarides said.

“All four caucuses believe strongly that we should internally have our conversations and then come out and do public hearings and forums on it.”

However, the discussion won’t happen as part of the Legislative Management Committee. That committee’s deadline to forward legislation to the House and Senate was March 19.

It’s unclear what if anything can be done following the April 16 public hearing if any improvements to the current policies need to be made.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018 Con’t from page 04

Con’t from page 04

Statewide Candidates Speed-Date Latinos

conmigo. Quiero que ustedes estén conmigo tambien!” Translation: They are with me. I want you to be with me too!

Susan Bysiewicz, who’d just officially declared her entry in the gubernatorial race, said she has worked hard to diversify state boards and commissions when she served as secretary of the state.

“Sí, se puedo!” she declared, mistaking the verb’s conjugation. “We can win together!”

Bysiewicz said she planned to elevate the need for more federal funding for the cities that have taken in Puerto Rican evacuees a bipartisan effort that would require getting Connecticut’s elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, to pressure the White House.

Guy Smith, former CEO of Americares and a liquor distribution company, said he’d stand up to the Trump administration, whose enforcement actions he called “unconscionable.”

“In my administration,” he said, “we’re going to have serious diversity and serious candidates from your community, and I will protect every citizen in Connecticut from youknow-who in Washington.” The line implied non-citizens wouldn’t get the same protections, earning a tepid response from the audience, at best.

Although he used similar language about protecting “citizens” when chatting with the Independent, Smith may have misspoken. In the interview, he said that ICE’s enforcement activity had created real fear in Connecticut, “a place where people used to not have to worry, always be looking over their shoulder.” If he were elected, “it’s not going to be that way” any longer, said Smith, who supports Connecticut’s status as a sanctuary state.

The biggest applause of the night went to Kevin Lembo, the state comptroller. He originally launched an effort to seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination this year, then surprised everyone when he dropped out, citing personal reasons. He’s running for reelection.

In the attorney general race, Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor, and Clare Kindall, a former assistant attorney general, described different approaches to how they’d respond to Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

Mattei said he’d “run to the courthouse” to challenge any threats to the so-called Dreamers, undocumented

immigrants who’d been raised in this country and received special protections under Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

“This is a community that, in some ways, feels under siege,” he said. “I’m here to stand in solidarity.”

Kindall said she, too, would try to help the Dreamers by “doing everything permissible,” but she pointed out the limits of that strategy in a courtroom. “The state does not set immigration policy,” she said. “I wish I had a magic bullet.” Kindall said the resources of the attorney general’s office could be best used by defending sanctuary cities from retaliation and by looking into funding public defenders in immigration court, if they could get insurance.

Some candidates including gubernatorial hopeful Luke Bronin and attorney general candidate Paul Doyle arrived too late to make presentations, but in time for some last-minute schmoozing. Gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont sent representatives in his stead; Joe Ganim, another gubernatorial hopeful, later said he hadn’t

No Thanks

the utter lack of awareness of how involved a local organized group, of which he is a major mover, has been in proposing community and revenueproducing ideas for the Strong School.

The Fair Haven Management Team Chairman David Steinberg also pointed out that “until an RFP [request for proposals] is put out by the city” and one has not been since a Meridenbased developer’s plan was turned down “no support letter from members of the Fair Haven Management Team is possible.”

Cruz said the community-based conversation on the future of the Strong School, as part of the expanse on Grand Avenue running from Atwater Street to the Quinnipiac River, is being convened on April 22, location to be determined.

With a full agenda of other speakers at the management team meeting, the pair left with many questions still unanswered.

They said their next move is to go see if the city will sell them the building. If it won’t, “then we’ll look elsewhere,” Hurse added.

Rep. Arce Resigns After Month of Silence

by Christine Stuart CT. Junkie News

HARTFORD, CT — After weeks of speculation over whether he would resign, Rep. Angel Arce of Hartford finally submitted his resignation letter Thursday to the Secretary of the State.

The letter says he plans to resign April 9, “upon completion of my work on projects and programs in my district.” His resignation comes a month after the Hartford Courant confronted him with inappropriately affectionate comments he made in messages to a then 16-year-old girl.

“I do not want my presences to be a distraction to the very important work that occurs at the Capitol,” Arce, who has been stripped of all his committee assignments, said in his resignation letter. “I also do not want my family, friends, and supporters to be burdened in any way.”

The resignation letter comes the same day legal counsel for the House finished drafting a resolution to appoint a select committee of review to begin expulsion proceedings.

“Representative Arce has done the

CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO Rep. Angel Arce

right thing by resigning his seat from the legislature,” House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, said. “The residents of Hartford’s 4th District deserve new representation at the Capitol and now that process can begin.”

A special election could be held 45 days after the April 9 resignation, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will set the date.

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THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S SUMMIT

A Sisters’ Collaborative “Strong Women: Understanding our Past, Embracing The Present, and Preparing for the Future”

Saturday, April 21, 2018 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

L. W. Beecher Museum School of Arts & Sciences 100 Jewell Street New Haven, CT

This event is free to the public

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

CITY NOW OFFERS FREE, ‘DEMOCRACY PARKING’ TO SPUR PUBLIC ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION AT NIGHTTIME WORKSHOPS, HEARINGS, & MEETINGS New Haven – City officials, mindful of the imminent, busy schedule of budget workshops and public hearings, today issued a reminder of this year’s new, convenient feature: free, downtown, ‘democracy parking’ for residents and others who want or need to attend and participate in the city’s budget preparation process and other after-hours city business.

‘Democracy parking’ allows participants in city business to park in the surface lot at 32 Elm Street, between Orange and State streets, after 5:00 p.m., and then, after attending an official city function in City Hall or the Hall of Records, have their parking stub validated by one of the security personnel. A validated stub covers what would otherwise be the cost to park there.

In the coming weeks, the New Haven Board of Alders is scheduled to hold budget hearings and workshops – in City Hall beginning at 6:00 p.m. – on April 9 and 19, and on May 9, 14, and 29.

“The only way the board can make informed decisions about city operations

Yale Arab Conference

is if residents get involved and have their voices heard, however, the board makes these decisions downtown, where parking becomes an issue,” said Board of Alders President Pro Tempore Jeanette Morrison, whose initiative led to the city’s ‘democracy parking’ program, and who is also Acting Mayor this week. “The prospect of parking fines had become the primary obstacle cited by so many residents so my colleagues and I worked with the traffic authority to arrange for this free, after-5:00 p.m. parking option.”

Morrison was also instrumental in the creation of what she calls ‘family parking’ – again, after 5:00 p.m. – in Yale’s Lot #51 on Temple Street, for those using the main branch of the city’s public library.

“Providing options for residents to make parking easier has generated increased engagement in the government process and use of the public library – we encourage more residents to take full advantage of this innovative program,” said Department of Transportation, Traffic, and Parking Director Doug Hausladen.

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APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

13 Hillhouse Students Become Licensed Guards

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Nineteen-year-old Tytainya Gaines is a certified emergency medical responder, and she’s working her way through an emergency medical technician program. On Tuesday she also became a licensed unarmed security officer.

The Hillhouse senior, along with 12 of her fellow students in her high school’s Law, Public Safety, and Health Academy, recently completed the Securitas training program. On Tuesday they received certificates that prove they’re licensed to work.

Gaines said she was steered toward racking up the certifications by academy coordinator William Garraty because it would allow her good job opportunities whether she decides to go to college or not.

“I do want to go to Gateway for nursing,” she said. But in the meantime, she’s interested in becoming an EMT and actually getting the opportunity to work on an ambulance.

“I like the idea of being a first responder and the adrenaline rush,” she said. “But I really like the idea that I get to be one of the first people there to help.”

Garraty said he likes that licensing and certification programs like the one provided by Securitas provide students with the types of credentials that translate into public safety jobs. The twoday training program that Securitas provides usually costs about $150 but Hillhouse students in the public safety academy get to take it for free.

This is the third year that Securitas has offered the training at Hillhouse. Some 45 students have received their unarmed security guard license through the program.

Garraty said for the student who happens to have a serious interest in law enforcement, the license offers them the opportunity to work in an entrylevel public safety job where they can learn first aid and customer service skills that will look good to a recruiter on their resume.

“A police officer recruiter will look at this and say, ‘You’re really into this,’” he said.

In addition to the security guard license program, the EMR and EMT programs, Hillhouse’s academy also offers a certified nursing assistant program too.

Hillhouse Principal Glen Worthy said all part of making sure that students have options after high school.

“We know that all of our kids aren’t going to college so we want them to have a chance at obtaining as many

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MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO Hillhouse Senior Tytainya Gaines receives her unarmed security officer licensing training certificate at Tuesday’s graduation

The graduates.

William Mabery receives his certificate.

Program graduate Noah Potasz, with Hillhouse Principal Glen Worthy (at right), is specifically certified in cyber security.

certifications as possible so that they will be employable,” he said. “And even if they do ultimately decide to go to college, having these certifications and licenses means that they can work and go to school without having to

rely so much on mom and dad.”

He said the certifications help students like Gaines open their eyes to all of the possibilities that are available to them.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

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Campaign Launched For

all of the charges against her dropped.

“This man took a chance on me,” Figgs-Desilva said, “so I said, I’m going to take a chance on him.”

For the past year, she has worked with the Bail Fund doing outreach and surveying the city’s homeless community, spreading the word about the fund’s existence and how it can help people unable to pay their way out of pre-trial detention.

As evidence of her evangelism, two of the women who sat alongside Figgs-Desilva during Saturday night’s panel were her close friend Kountrie and her niece Nicole Kennedy. In the audience, Figgs-Desilva’s husband Kevin cheered from the front row as he recorded the event on his phone.

Not all of the women on the panel had benefited directly from the Connecticut Bail Fund. But each had a story to tell about the challenges of being a woman and a mother behind bars, as well as about the critical importance of receiving financial and emotional support while locked up in jail.

A panelist named Tasha spoke of the sexual harassment and extortion she witnessed at York. She said that pregnant inmates often traded sexual favors for better treatment at the hands of some of the correctional officers.

Terry Allick said that she spent a decade in prison starting at 16, and experienced no end of abuse as a transgender woman in a men’s prison. She said that what kept her going were the rare letters or phone calls or visits from people on the outside who let her know that they had not forgotten about her, and still cared about her.

“It’s just like darkness in there,” she said, “but then, when you get that visit or you make that phone call or you get that contact, everything lights up again. The sun pierces through the buildings. All the walls fall down.

Nothing matters but you and that letter.”

Kennedy, dressed in a white dress and white pumps, said that she was so happy that Figgs-Desilva had introduced her to the bail fund, because any resource devoted to getting women out of prison and reunited with their children was a resource she could stand behind.

“Life is good when you’re on the outside,” she said. “When you’re not standing there, having another individual tell you when to pee. We need more people like you to help support getting people out.”

THE JAZZ JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION PRESENTS HARTFORD DJ AND PHOTOGRAPHER

MAURICE D. ROBERTSON WITH 2018 JAZZ HERO AWARD The New England chapter of the Jazz Journalists Association is delighted to present Hartford-based DJ and photographer Maurice D. Robertson with the 2018 Jazz Hero Award. The award will be presented at 8 p.m. on Monday, April 23 at the Hartford Jazz Society’s Monday Night Jazz Jams College Showcase at Black Eyed Sally’s, 350 Asylum St., Hartford. No cover.

JJA Jazz Heroes are activists, advocates, altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz who have made a significant impact in their communities. The award is part of the JJA’s JazzApril campaign (www.JazzApril.org), which encompasses 22 Jazz Heroes in 20 U.S. cities honored during April, Jazz Appreciation Month by local fans and grassroots organizations in partnership with the JJA. “Maurice D. Robertson has lived his life in service to the community,” says Bob Blumenthal of the Jazz Journalists Association. “He has done this through his professional career, which includes several years at the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunity as well as his current position as Housing Coordinator for the Blue Hill Civic Association, and

Award to be presented on Monday, April 23 at Black Eyed Sally’s

MAURICE D. ROBERTSON

through the pursuit of his complimentary passions, jazz and photography.”

Past New England Jazz Heroes include Horace Silver; Dollie McLean; George Russell; Fred Taylor; Elynor Walcott and sons Paul, Frank and Lloyd Poindexter, proprietors of Wally’s Jazz Café; Pauline Bilsky, executive director of JazzBoston; Arni Cheatham, Vita Muir, Emilio Lyons, Mark Sumner Harvey, Yedidyah Syd Smart and Leonard L. Brown.

Maurice Robertson is a native of Jamaica who moved to Hartford as a child. His first exposure to jazz came when he was a child at his Hartford home, through his father’s extensive record collection. He took up the flute as an adolescent and continued to play through his high school years at Weaver (class of 1971), in college at the University of Connecticut, and into adulthood. Since 1976 he has served as a DJ on the University of Hartford radio station, WWUH-FM (91.3). As the host of Accent on Jazz, he plays many styles of jazz, conducts interviews, and keeps listeners informed about the local jazz scene.

Robertson is also a gifted photographer who honed his craft with no formal training. In 2010 he received a City of Hartford Art and Heritage Grant that allowed him to acquire updated digital equipment. His work was shown in 2016 at the Hartford Public Library, and his home is a popular stop on the city’s Open Studio Tours.

Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Hugh Masekela, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, and Natalie Cole have been among his photographic subjects.

Owen McNally said in a 2010 Hart-

ford Courant article, “No jazz concert in the Hartford area seems complete without omnipresent photographer Maurice D. Robertson, a subtle, quickwitted craftsman with a low-key presence and an extraordinary eye for capturing the spirit of the moment and the humanity of the performer.” Robertson is also a member of the Hartford Jazz Society, and has served as the organization’s Program Coordinator since 2008. He is a regular attendee at Hartford’s clubs and concert halls, and hosts summertime concerts at Bushnell Park. In addition to his multifaceted commitment and work in the area of jazz, Robertson is an avid practitioner of Hatha Yoga.

The Jazz Journalists Association is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit professional organization of writers, broadcasters, photographers, videographers and new media content providers keeping news and views of jazz prominent in traditional publications and online platforms. For further information about the JJA, the Jazz Awards or the Jazz Heroes campaigns, contact President@JazzJournalists.org. http:// www.jjajazzawards.org

WARD 26 ALDER CALLS FOR NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ACTION TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST UNARMED BLACK CIVILIANS

Darryl Brackeen Jr. Signs Letter Condemning Police Violence against African Americans

New Haven, CT — Ward 26 Alder Darryl Brackeen Jr. signed a letter Wednesday, April 4 calling on the Trump Administration and all elected leaders to take a stand against police shootings of unarmed black people in the United States. The letter was in association with the National Black Caucus of the Young Elected Officials Network, of which Alder Brackeen is a member.

“It is with a combination of grief, anger, and hope that I signed the Elected Leaders Against Police Violence on Black People letter. Law enforcement’s first job is to ensure our safety while respecting our constitutional rights. Too many police officers have violated this responsibility, disproportionately targeting black Americans—with deadly consequences.

Already this year, police forces have fatally shot 269 people. Law enforcement should be a source of protection, not additional violence. I am proud to join the National Black Caucus of the Young Elected Officials Network in advocating for a fundamental change in how our police officers carry out their vital function for our democracy.

“As the tragic case of Stephon Clark once again reminded us, police violence has often taken on a racial dimension.

Darryl Brackeen Jr. Clark, a 23-year-old father, was shot eight times—mostly in the back—while standing in his grandmother’s backyard.

This is simply unacceptable. Unfortunately, it is also our reality. There is no excuse for law enforcement treating black Americans any differently than any other people. The Department of Justice must defend the rights and liberties of everyone. Failure to do so has created immeasurable pain and fear in communities

9

across our country and tears at the fabric that holds our democracy together.

“It is a cruel irony that I sign this letter on April 4, exactly 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Our society has made great progress in advancing Dr. King’s civil rights agenda—and the National Black Caucus is one small example of our advances—but we have not yet fulfilled his dream. Too often, police officers judge people by the color of their skin and not by the content of their character. Joining fellow young leaders across the country, we must continue to fight for civil rights and social justice.

“Young people have made it clear that we are fed up with the scourge of gun violence in this country. In the aftermath of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, high school students have created a national movement united against the unnecessary and irreversible consequences that guns inflict on our populace.

An important part of this conversation is police violence; young people must come together to demand comprehensive gun reform in a movement that represents the diverse perspectives of all Americans.

“It is important to remember that the vast majority of our police officers are

not perpetrators of violence against African Americans, and vilifying all law enforcement agencies is not productive.

Police officers are our neighbors, constituents, and fellow citizens, and their sacrifices to our country deserve recognition. But the outcomes of policing in this country are far from ideal, and we cannot accept a situation in which many Americans live in constant fear of those whose job it is to protect them.

“The Elected Leaders Against Police Violence on Black People outlines courses of action for all levels of government. Prosecutors at all levels must prosecute police misconduct and enforce civil rights. President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions must ensure that civil rights protections are being enforced and address violence aimed at unarmed black people. State attorneys general must offer guidelines for local law enforcement officials and promptly investigate any suspected violations. And local governments— including here in New Haven—must establish systems to ensure oversight of police and foster trust between officers and the communities they serve. As the letter closes, ‘Now is the time to push transformational change and repair the harm that has been done.’”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Where Are The Minority Contractors?

APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK New Haven Independent

The Board of Education planned to renew $8.7 million in maintenance contracts this year, with only a small share going to locally-owned businesses, and even less to those owned by women and racial minorities.

“We can cut through all the fluff: The question from us is that we want to make sure that we engage as many qualified small businesses as possible,” Tamiko Jackson-McArthur said at a meeting this week of the Board of Ed’s Finance & Operations Committee. “The issue is that we did not feel that engagement was happening as it should be, with minority and women owned businesses.”

But that’s not for lack of trying, insisted Michael Fumiatti, the city’s purchasing agent, and Lil Snyder, the head of the city’s small contractor development program.

Even with a special program for local contractors, several steps in the procurement process might still discourage an entrepreneur from bidding: onerous documentation, expensive insurance, thin profit margins and long payment delays.

Those city officials walked through the obstacles small businesses face at the Finance & Operations Committee meeting, which took place Monday at 54 Meadow St. While the back-andforth showed the city has no easy fixes for the problem, Fumiatti and Snyder agreed to redouble their efforts as the school board puts out all this year’s facilities contracts to bid.

(Frank Redente, the committee’s chair; Jamell Cotto, the vice-chair; and Darnell Goldson, the board’s president, who’ve pounded the facili-

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTO

Board members Joey Rodriguez and Tamiko Jackson-McArthur.

ties manager in recent months about process and performance, were not present at the meeting, which board member Jackson-McArthur chaired.)

The procurement process, as set out in the city charter, is designed to allow public agencies to find companies who’re qualified to do the work, with prices, rather than preferences, guiding the process.

Typically, any project over $10,000 typically goes out to bid, meaning that the specifications are posted on the city’s website and in newspaper ads for anyone to submit a response.

If the work is expected to cost under $150,000, the city makes an effort to steer the contract to local small businesses. New Haven County businesses in the small contractor development program have the first crack at submitting a bid.

“We wanted the small guys to bid with small guys,” Snyder said.

If the city doesn’t get three quotes, then the big guys have a chance to bid.

Yet even if an out-of-town business puts in the lowest price, local shops have the option to swoop in (if the difference wasn’t more than 10 percent) and claim the lower price too.

To get in the program, a small business must have been in operation for more than a year, and they must take in less than $3 million in revenue.

Matching property tax assessments, the city checks that the businesses have actually located their headquarters, not just a post office box, within New Haven County.

(If a business meets those eligibility requirements, its owner can register by calling 203-946-6550.)

Currently, 123 businesses are in the small contractor development program, which has been around for almost two decades. A sizable proportion — 45 percent — are minority-

owned. Yet it appears that the schools are still having trouble reaching those contractors.

Among the current crop of 31 contracts up for renewal, eight were supposed to go to New Haven County businesses participating in the small contractor development program. Of those, five are based within the city, two are owned by white women, and one is owned by a black man.

Calculated in dollars, though, only about 5.2 percent of the contracts are going to those small businesses.

The two female-owned businesses, East Shore Glass and Malangone Mechanical, won contracts worth $145,000, while the one black-owned business, White Owl Construction, won a contract for $25,000.

Four other businesses — Consolidated Electric, Concrete Creations, Cohen’s Key Shop and Tri-State Maintenance Services — nabbed another $285,000 in contracts.

Those outcomes aren’t because of any personal bias, Fumiatti said.

“We are required to award to the lowest responsive bidder. Some are small, some are minorities, some are women.

They all bid against each other, and I am required by law to award to the lowest,” he explained. “Personally, I’m color and gender blind, when it comes to awarding contracts.”

But there are a number of structural reasons why minorities aren’t getting work, city officials added.

To sum it up: school contracts aren’t the home improvement projects that they’re used to.

“I can’t tell you how many contractors come in and say, ‘I do it all.’ Well, you can’t do it all,” Snyder said. “You have to specialize in something. We

don’t want a home improvement contractor. We want someone to come in and do plumbing, electrical, sheet rock. So, we start by asking, What is your speciality?”

Sometimes, Will Clark, the district’s chief operating officer pointed out, there’s just no local business with the right expertise.

City lists show plenty of competition among small businesses for carpentry, electrical and painting gigs.

But no one’s registered to clean ducts, install computer networks, place rebar, design cabinets, or hook up toilets and water fixtures. In those cases, the city has no choice but to open up the bidding up to bigger companies from outside the area.

Another big issue is that some home repairmen might have worked off the books. But to join the small contractor development program, the companies need to have all their paperwork in order, Snyder said.

“We want to vet them,” she explained.

“We want to make sure they’re a legitimate business registered with the secretary of the state or the city clerk, that they have copies of their drivers license, copies of their tax returns, copies of their vendor licenses, copies of all their professional training.

We go through a whole assessment to make sure that they are all capable, eligible businesses.”

And if they get the work, there might be other issues that stop them from keeping up, like expected 45-day delays to get an invoice paid — a problem for which Goldson’s employer, RCN Capital, was paid by the city to give payday loans to a school contracCon’t on page 16

The Most Popular Black Lives Matter Facebook Page Was Run By White Australians

Nationwide — According to CNN, the most popular Facebook fan page dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement was fake. After a careful investigation, it was discovered that the page was being run by a middle-aged white man from Australia.

Before it was recently deactivated, the page had almost 700,000 followers – more than twice as many as the page for the official organization.

Even worse, the page sold t-shirts, coffee mugs, and reportedly encouraged people to donate to fundraisers that raised as much as $100,000. The money, however, was obviously not used to

help the African American community because it was deposited into an Australian bank account.

Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of the official Black Lives Matter movement, says that she contacted Facebook months ago about the page and asked them to take it down. However, it wasn’t until CNN contacted one of the Australian men who may have been associated with it that the page suddenly was deactivated.

The people behind the page also reportedly had a popular Facebook Group also called “Black Lives Matter” with nearly 40,000 members.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018 Con’t from page 10

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS

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APRIL 17, 2018

Daudreanna Baker Wins Tom Joyner Foundation® ‘Full Ride’ Scholarship to Historically Black University

Dallas, TX — Daudreanna Baker of Hazlehurst, Miss. is the winner of the 2018 Tom Joyner Foundation® “Full Ride Scholarship” that will cover full tuition, room and board (on campus only) and books up to 10 semesters.

Baker, who is the oldest of four raised by a single mom at her home about 30 minutes south of Jackson, Miss., plans to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she plans to become a Chemistry/Pre-Med major.

Tom Joyner, the Foundation’s chairman and founder, announced his scholarship today during the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which airs on 100 stations and reaches a broadcast and digital audience with more than 10 million listeners every week. Baker, who is graduating from Hazlehurst High School, was selected from hundreds of applicants from around the country for the scholarship.

“I want to help somebody, help themselves,” Baker says. “My mom is a nurse and I always watched her help people and I always appreciated that. I just feel that’s my calling. I want to be extraordinary.”

Baker says she wants to become an orthopedic surgeon. She has been class president, editor of the school’s newspaper, the Indian Inquirer, serves on the Mayor’s Youth Council and has been a mentor at the Boys and Girls

Tom Joyner, nationally syndicated radio show host and founder and chairman of the Tom Joyner Foundation standing next to Full Ride scholarship winner Daudreanna Baker of Hazlehurst, Miss., her mom, Lillian Tillman, and the scholarship banquet keynote speaker Dr. Walter Kimbrough, president, Dilliard University.

Photo credit: Jesse Hornbuckle

Club. In her essay, she talked about one of her classmates who was expelled and is now an inmate at Mississippi State Penitentiary. “I need to go to school so I can show my community that you can do other things,” she said during her scholarship interview.

“I want to show my community that you can do better.”

Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated morning radio show, said, “Daudreanna, I love your passion to

help people.”

In his recommendation for the scholarship, Burnell Ramsey said, “She is one of the most brilliant minds I have ever encountered. She is one student who I am sure will go on to do great things in life.” Robin Brumfield of Hazlehurst High School wrote, “I have great respect for her as a professional. … Daudreanna is driven, engaging and dependable… she is always learning and growing, an impressive

strength that will continue to serve her well in college and beyond.”

Baker is our eighth Tom Joyner Foundation Full Ride Scholar. Previous winners include Z’Kijah Fleming, who is attending Howard University, where she is majoring in business.

Morgan Brown, who is attending Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga., pursuing a career in psychiatry; JoAnn Jones who is attending Winston Salem State University in Winston Salem, N.C., pursuing a career in nursing; Titus Ziegler Jr. of Atlanta’s Inman Middle School who served as a commander of the elite Junior ROTC Color Guard and Cheyenne Boyce of Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Spelman College in Atlanta was a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia and now works at the Confucius Institute in Washington, D.C. Blaine Robertson of Reserve, La. graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a B.S. in mathematics and a B.A. in history with a minor in secondary education. The first winner, Britney Wilson of Brooklyn, N.Y., recently passed the New York Bar. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University. Ms. Wilson has worked in the New York offices of the American Civil Liberties Union

(ACLU) and is now a Bertha Justice Institute Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights.

To retain the scholarship, students had to meet the required academic standards each semester. Graduating high school seniors applied for the scholarship by going to www.TomJoynerFoundation.org. To be eligible, students had to meet the following criteria: 1) Be a United States citizen; 2) Be a current high school senior attending school in the United States. Each applicant must complete high school in the spring of 2018; 3) Have a minimum high school grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 grade scale, excluding home school studies) and minimum SAT score of 1400 (combined math essay and verbal score) or ACT score of 30; 4) Applicants had to apply and be accepted to an HBCU by July 1, 2018; 5.) Applicants had to demonstrate leadership abilities through participation in community service and extracurricular activities.

Founded in 1998, the Tom Joyner Foundation has raised in excess of $65 million to help keep students enrolled in black colleges. It has assisted more than 29,000 students and worked with more than 100 HBCUs. To learn more about the Foundation, go to www.

TomJoynerFoundation.org.

Alleged Howard U Whistleblower Unmasked Whistleblower Unmasked as Fellow Student Worker in Complaint

By Aya Elamroussi, Special to the AFRO

Tyrone Hankerson Jr., a Howard University law student allegedly involved in an embezzlement scandal currently clouding the prestigious HBCU, is accusing the institution of leaking his financial information and plans to file a suit for $10 million, his lawyer James L. Walker Jr. told the AFRO via e-mail April 5.

The complaint is set to be filed late April 6 or April 7.

Hankerson will sue on the grounds of three counts: breach of a duty and negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation, according to an advanced copy of the complaint obtained by the AFRO. The suit was filed against Howard University, Grant Grundy and Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard University president.

The complaint identified Grundy as the whistleblower who posted an anony-

mous entry on the blogging site Medium, which alleged that $1 million of financial aid money had been misappropriated over a period of years. According to LinkedIn, Grundy worked as a special assistant to the associate director and university bursar from August 2015 until April 2017. Hankerson’s complaint alleges that Grundy accused him of pocketing about $429,000 while he worked at the financial aid office at Howard University.

On the charge of a “Breach of a Duty and Negligence” the complaint states that Howard University violated its Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) policy, which prohibits the release of personal and financial without students’ written consent.

“Defendant Howard and Defendant Grundy breached this duty by releasing and disclosing Mr. Hankerson’s financial aid records to an online newspaper Medium,” the complaint reads. “Medium reported and posted the alleged misappropriations story about Defendant

Howard along with the financial records of Mr. Hankerson.”

The complaint also alleges that due to Grundy and Howard’s supposed failure to maintain Hankerson’s confidential financial information, he “suffered damages to which he seeks compensatory and punitive damages.”

On the point of “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress” the lawsuit alleges Howard University and Grundy “knew” that student protests and media attention would have “a negative and misleading effect on Mr. Hankerson’s reputation and emotional stability.”

When Hankerson’s financial records were supposedly disclosed, he was taking his final exams and preparing to graduate from Howard University School of Law. The complaint claims that disclosure of his financial records would influence his ability to pass or fail his classes.

On the last count of “Defamation,” the complaint claims Grundy “negligently and recklessly” made false statements on the Medium post about Hankerson, ac-

12

cusing him of stealing over $400,000 and naming him as one of the six employees fired from Howard. As a result, the suit further claims, Hankerson’s professional reputation has been severely damaged.

According to Walker, Hankerson lost a job that he was supposed to begin after his graduation this upcoming summer. His annual salary would have been $200,000, Walker said.

The $10 million in damages being claimed in the lawsuit would cover Hankerson’s lost earnings, attorney’s and court fees and also provide some relief for the public humiliation he has suffered, his lawyer said.

Walker told the AFRO that he has been trying to get in touch with Howard, but he hasn’t received a significant response besides an e-mail stating, “We’ll get back to you.”

He said, “That’s the most we got from Howard.”

Neither the institution nor Grundy responded to the AFRO’s request for a response to the allegations by AFRO press

time.

A complaint to be filed by Tyrone Hankerson Jr.’s lawyer named Grant Grundy as the whistleblower who accused Hankerson in an anonymous Medium post of embezzling from Howard University.

(Courtesy Photo) by Alexis Anderson

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APRIL 17, 2018

NEW HAVEN’S GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY RADIO STATION! www.newhavenindependent.org

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

Supreme Court: Police Can Shoot First and Think Later

By Gloria Browne-Marshall, Special to the AFRO

“Why did you shoot me?,” Amy Hughes asked as she lay bleeding from four bullet wounds. On April 2, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of the officer who shot her and expanded police immunity.

Rebuked by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, she wrote, “There is nothing right or just under the law about this.”

Amy Hughes was holding a kitchen knife. She was calmly standing in her backyard about six feet from her roommate, Sharon Chadwick. It was May 2010, in Tuscan, Arizona. Three police officers arrived triggered by a 911 call and a bystander who told them an erratic woman had a knife. Officers saw Hughes through a chain link fence and told her to drop the knife. Within seconds of giving that command, Officer Andrew Kisela fired four shots wounding Hughes. She sued Kisela.

The Supreme Court ruled this shooting was reasonable. Qualified immunity protects officers from lawsuits if their conduct is deemed reasonable.

Unless an officer’s conduct is unlaw-

ful or violates clearly established law, they cannot be held liable for wounding or killing a civilian. Qualified immunity is needed because government officials could not do their daily jobs effectively if they lived in fear of lawsuits. However, this protection has limits.

When the Supreme Court found that Kisela’s conduct was immune from Hughes’ lawsuit, civil rights groups complained that the Court had gone too far to protect police.

There were three officers at the scene.

Alex Garcia and Lindsay Kunz did not fire their weapons. They believed the situation could be handled through verbal communication. Garcia testified that Hughes may not have even heard the command to drop her knife.

Chadwick asked the officers to “take it easy” and never feared for her life.

Yet, less than a minute after arriving at the scene, Kisela fired four shots.

After the shooting, he discovered Hughes had a history of mental illness and Hughes had threatened the dog, not Chadwick. The Supreme Court has not ruled on how police officers are to confront suspects with mental illness.

nowhere near the officers, had committed no illegal act, was suspected of no crime, and did not raise the knife in the direction of Chadwick or anyone else,” said Justice Sotomayor. “If this account of Kisela’s conduct sounds unreasonable, that is because it was.”

Sotomayor then directly chastised the Court’s decision.

In the Tennessee case involving a Black teenager shot in the back by police, the Supreme Court said officers must have “probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a threat of serious physical harm, either to the officer or to others.” If force is excessive then it violates the Fourth Amendment.

Due to the nature of events, making split-second judgments under “tense,

uncertain, and rapidly evolving” circumstances, the Court says it leans toward the officer’s view of whether force was necessary, regularly protecting officers under qualified immunity.

Sotomayor, a former prosecutor, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, dissented. They believe Kisela’s conduct was not entitled to immunity.

Reviewing the facts, “Hughes was

“It sends a message to police and the public that “they can shoot first and think later, and tells the public that palpably unreasonable conduct will go unpunished.” Every year, hundreds of armed and unarmed civilians are killed or wounded by police officers.

Amy Hughes was lucky to survive to ask,‘Why did you shoot me?’”

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is a legal correspondent covering the U.S. Supreme Court, a professor, and the author of the forthcoming book “She Took Justice” (City Lights).

The Supreme Court ruled against Amy Hughes, a young woman with mental health issues who was shot in her front yard for carrying a kitchen knife. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

To be African American, male, and mentally ill is to face a particular cultural medical challenge.

“Strong Black Man” Hurts Black Men with Mental Health Issues

Emotional vulnerability is a prerequisite for good mental health – and admitting feelings of fear, pain, sadness, or panic is a condition for the diagnosis of a mental disorder. Yet many African American men are brought up in a culture that equates psychiatric conditions with personal weakness.

The result is generations of African American men whose mental health problems go unrecognized or untreated.

The stigma and unhealthy gender socialization present one of the biggest hurdles to getting African Americans in front of a therapist, says Dr. Norissa Williams, who works at NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Applied Psychology as a clinical assistant professor for Counseling@NYU, which offers an online master’s in mental health counseling program.

African American men’s stoicism, Williams says, goes beyond the stereotypical male aversion to sharing feelings. It’s a legacy of centuries of trauma and marginalization in a white person’s world. As one African American writer put it, that toxic masculinity has “created pernicious and self-destructive cultural norm.”

African Americans’ historical mistrust of the medical establishment compounds the stigma that envelopes mental illness within the black community. Research has found some black Americans view

depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions as a white person’s disease. Many consider the topic not appropriate even within their own families.

The hyper-masculine ideals that permeate many corners of black society are reflected in its deeply conservative attitudes. Nearly three out of four African Americans view homosexuality as “always wrong,” the highest rate of any racial group and largely unchanged in four decades. African Americans are also least supportive of same-sex marriages, with just under half favoring it.

As a population, African American

males are some of the people most in need of mental health care. National surveys have found they’re significantly more likely than white men to report feeling sad, hopeless, or worthless. African American male high school students attempt suicide at nearly twice the rate as their white male peers, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some clinicians have begun to call for concerted efforts to change attitudes – both on the part of patients as well among mental health therapists. For the latter, it may require listening for symp-

15

toms with culturally keener ears. For example, Williams says African American men who are depressed may express it as more socially acceptable anger instead of sadness. Boosting the abysmal lack of African American mental health therapists would help, too.

But much of the healing will have to come from within the black communities themselves. Celebrities like Jay-Z have begun chipping away at the stigma, opening the way to nurture current and future generations of African American men.

In a recent interview, Jay-Z called for

more mental health therapy for children so they can benefit the way he has. He derided the tendency by African Americans to minimize or dismiss psychological distress. His interviewer, CNN’s Van Jones, added that “as scared as black folks are of the cops, we’re even more scared of therapists.”

Alexis Anderson is a Digital PR Coordinator covering K-12 education at 2U, Inc. Alexis supports outreach for their school counseling, teaching, mental health, and occupational therapy programs.

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APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

Meet the Three Black Women Who Started Their Law Firm Through Twitter www.businesswomen.org

Women pursuing a career in the legal sector often face challenges involving poor work-life balance and discrimination in the workplace, and that is one of the reasons why it is not a profession commonly chosen by women. But three young Black women from Chicago, IL braved the challenges, and became successful in launching their own law firm. And it all started with a tweet.

According to a study released by the National Association for Law Placement in 2015, only 7.52 percent of law firms had partners who were people of color and only 2.55 percent were women of color. Even though the statistics seem discouraging, it did not stop attorneys Yondi Morris-Andrews, Keli Knight, and Jessica Reddick in reaching their goal of having their own law firm.

After a particularly exhausting day at her job as a contract attorney, Yondi, one of the founding partners, brought her frustration out on Twitter saying, “I need to start my own firm.” The tweet caught the attention of two other young Black women, Keli and Jessica. They met at Starbucks to plan and after a year of careful preparation, the Knight Morris & Reddick Law Group (KMR) was born.

Since then, they have worked with high profile clients such as Derek Rose among others. They started a legal staffing firm that supports bigger law firms and supplies staff if ever needed. They also made practical use of social media in ways other attor-

neys won’t do.

Definitely, they are running the law firm in a modern way. They kept their presence on

blogs and social media, especially Twitter, as to how they actually started it.

“When it comes to black people we don’t

always have those resources that other people have. You’ll see a lot of white-owned law firms because they have their fathers or grandfathers that came before them that had their own practice. Jessica and I watched our parents be entrepreneurs as we grew up, and I learned that you can do whatever and you don’t have to be afraid,” Keli told NBC News.

Not surprisingly, KMR has caught the attention not just of many lawyers and law practitioners -- not just the Black ones.

“We have a very diverse pool of attorneys that we pull from but I will say that we have gotten quite a few minorities that are interested in working for our staffing agency or registering for our agency because they are interested in what we do,” Yondi said.

But of course, starting up a law firm is not an easy task, much more keeping it going.

Aside from practicing law, the three women are also responsible on the business side of KMR. It comes as one of the challenges to them but they managed it well.

“Leveling the playing field is a huge job,” Jessica said. “Just the fact that we exist and other people know we exist allows for people of color and other women to see that something is possible. For men to see that this is something we are capable of doing?

I think that will change the way they view women of color.”

For more details about their KMR Law Group, visit www.kmrlawgroup.com or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kmrlawgroup/

Black-Owned Candle and Vegan Skincare Company Joins Subscription Box Industry Nationwide — Wicked Flame, a Blackowned candle and vegan skincare company has announced the launch of its luxury candle + spa subscription box. Wicked Flame gives subscribers access to their extensive product line of signature artisan candles and vegan bath & body products most of which are certified organic and kosher. Staying true to its mission, the candle and spa box is carefully curated with natural ingredients to help members find bliss, relax and reclaim their time.

“We believe in the power of nature and love. All of our handmade products work together to promote wellness, self-care and healthy lifestyles. When members open our subscription boxes, they are met with soothing aromatic candles and freshly made body products that are free from parabens, phthalates, sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oils, formaldehyde and other toxins commonly found in skincare and household goods. With every box we deliver, we give back addressing education, hunger, and homelessness in our communities,” says Tenaya Dane, founder of the company.

Customers can order their first candle + spa subscription box by creating an account and completing a quick scent profile. Sharing your preferences helps the team curate your surprise box each month.

Several subscription plans are available so you can try out the subscription box for

one, 3, 6, or 12 months. The boxes feature 4+ full size items including candles, vegan body scrubs, soap, body butters, masks, salts, serums, oils, accessories, and much more. The content changes every month depending on the theme and you never receive repeat fragrances within a calendar year. Each box also includes a surprise bonus treat and a curated Spotify playlist to match the box theme. The candle + spa subscription boxes are designed to appeal to anyone who loves candles and natural skincare products.

The value of each subscription box is 2-5x the cost of the subscription. You can cancel, pause, or skip a box any time.

To experience bliss, visit WickedFlame. com and get started with $10 off your first box with coupon code BLACKMAGIC. The boxes ship worldwide every month on the 15th.

About Wicked Flame Founded by Tenaya Dane, a Managing Director in the finance sector and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Wicked Flame launched to inspire work, life and balance through aromatherapy and self-care. Since 2007, Wicked Flame has lit the way to the comfort zone with blissful fragrance and vegan products that promote the good life for less. For more details, visit www.wickedcandlebox.com

Liz Howard, BlackNews.com Wicked Flame, founded by entrepreneur Tenaya Dane, launches a luxury candle and spa subscription box service

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Con’t from page 10

Where Are The

tor.

The city is in the process of switching over to electronic invoices to speed payment. Fumiatti can also prioritize some processing, if he knows there’s a problem.

“If you have a cash-flow problem, you have to tell us up front,” Snyder said.

“You can’t wait until you’ve done the work, and now you’re dying to get paid on Friday.”

Some groups also perceive the procurement process as being only for insiders, even though open bidding is supposed to counteract that problem.

“What I’ve found on the street is a perception that you [need to] know someone,” said Shawn Garris, the city’s procurement analyst.

That perception can become self-reinforcing, Fumiatti explained, because their non-participation skews the results. “They’ve got to bid to win,” he said.

How to fix the imbalance was a tougher question to answer: Did the school district need to do more outreach about the bidding process? Or did the city and other business associations need to do more to build the capacity for companies to be able to take on a contract?

Jackson-McArthur asked if the businesses simply don’t know about the city’s programs.

Fumiatti said that, in the past, they’d asked the city assessor for a list of all vendors who’ve registered their business, then sent out mailings to let them know about the small contractor development program. He added that he wasn’t sure when the last one went out, but said they could do one soon.

They also contact business associations and state agencies to help with outreach. On big projects, like the upcoming Strong School’s construction, they hold events to walk small businesses through the job opportunities and the process for getting them.

Joe Rodriguez, another committee member, said he needs more information to identify the problem. He asked how often minority-owned businesses are putting in bids and not getting the work.

“Looking at that number will identify to this body and others where we need to do the work. It’s clear that we have to do more work on outreach, but if I can see that the bids are there, that minority-owned businesses and women-owned businesses are not getting the contracts, then we can have a conversation internally and figure it out,” he said. “I want to see that number so

THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

Stetson Library: The Next Chapter HELP STETSON LIBRARY MOVE INTO THE NEW Q HOUSE “We don’t just need a place for books—we need a space for people to learn, to be challenged, to come together.

A library is not just a home for books, it’s a home for the community.” - Diane Brown, Stetson Branch Manager

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17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

Invisible Women: Maternal and Infant Mortality

by Stacy Grundy, BlackDoctor.org There is a silent epidemic that is taking the lives of women and children across our nation. According to the CIA, the United States (US) has the worst birth outcomes of any of the other developed countries. These adverse birth outcomes include rising maternal deaths, high infant mortality rates and high proportions of preterm and low birth weight births (CDC, 2018). Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby before its first birthday.

Infant mortality rates are especially significant because sociologists use this rate to measure the health of a nation and based on America’s rates we are very sick. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), an infant born in the US is almost three times more likely to die in its first year of life than an infant born in Finland or Japan.

But it is not only the children who are in danger, mothers are also at risk.

From 1987, the number of reported pregnancy-related deaths nationally rose from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births to 17.8 per 100,000 in 2009 and 2011. According to the CDC, an estimated 31% of women who give birth have serious complications and these complications are the second leading cause of short-term disability and the sixth leading cause of long-term disability.

When you examine the infant mortality rates of African Americans, the in-

fant mortality rate is double the rate of White Americans. In regards to maternal mortality, black mothers experience one of the widest of all racial disparities in women’s health. ProPublica and NPR found that in the United States black mothers are 243 percent more likely than Whites or Hispanics to die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes. So what is going on? What is it about being born in the United States that is putting black mothers and their babies at risk?

In the PBS documentary, Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick, Neonatologists, Dr. Richard David and Dr. James Collins believe that African American women are at increased risk during pregnancy, not because of their genes, but because of impact of experiencing racism over their lifetime- an impact that can outweigh even the benefits of higher social and class status.

Dr. Camara Jones, the former President of the American Public Health Association and renowned researcher whose work focuses on the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation, described in her article, A Gardner’s Tale, that there are three levels of racism that influence individual health: institutional racism, personally mediated racism, and internalized racism. These levels manifest in unequal access to healthcare, employment, housing, education, and pay; and perceptions that African-American women have not achieved success because are not doing something right.

Ways Patients Can Advocate for Themselves As a patient, there are ways you can advocate for yourself. WebMD lists The ABCs on How to Talk to Your Doctor: A: Ask Questions

If you do not understand a diagnosis or a word that your doctor uses, do not be afraid to ask your doctor, “What does that mean?” If you do not ask your doctor might assume you know.

B: Be Prepared Research your condition and write down any questions that you may have.

C: Communicate Concerns and Desires There are many barriers that impact a patient accessing health care: employment, housing, etc. Communicate these concerns to your doctor because even if they may not have the direct answer they can connect you to the right person.

Healthcare Providers As healthcare providers and professionals, it is our duty to first and foremost LISTEN TO BLACK WOMEN. Equally, when we see racism, we must call it out! It is our duty to provide equitable care to all mothers by ensuring we have a culturally competent and a culturally diverse healthcare workforce that provides care without judgment, bias, and discrimination.

Stacy Grundy, MPH, CHES is a Certified Health Education Specialist and has a B.S. in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Texas School of Public Health. As a public health professional, her primary focus is the elimination of health disparities through policy, systems, and environmental changes.

OPINION: Will HUD Secretary Ben Carson Enforce the Fair Housing Act?

Julianne Malveaux questions HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s ability to protect to enforce the Fair Housing Act also known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

By Julianne Malveaux, NNPA Newswire Columnist The Fair Housing Act was passed a week after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. President Lyndon Johnson encouraged Congress to pass the legislation as a tribute to the slain civil rights leader, who, along with several civil rights organizations (including the NAACP), strongly supported the act. African American veteran’s organizations (including the American GI Forum) were especially passionate about the legislation, especially since Vietnam veterans were among those experiencing severe housing discrimination. Senator Ed Brooke (RMass.), the only African American in the Senate at the time, along with his Massachusetts colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) was especially focused on the legislation.

The Fair Housing Act is also known as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (which was later amended in 1988) prevents discrimination in the sale, rental, financing, and advertising of housing because of race, color, religion, disability, family status, and national origin. But with the severe wealth inequality in our nation, there are still major gaps between homeownership by race; African American households were more heavily im-

pacted by the Great Recession than any other racial group. Between 2004 and 2016, every group experienced a decline in homeownership, but while Whites experienced a 4.1 percent decline, African American households experienced a 7 percent decline, dropping from nearly half (49 percent) of Black households owning homes to just 41.9 percent. Meanwhile, White homeownership remained over 70 percent. As much as a third of African American wealth was wiped out by the Great Recession, and this is partly due to discrimination in banking, including the ways that some banks aggressively pushed subprime loans on African Americans, even those who qualified for traditional loans.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the federal agency that is responsible for enforcing the Fair Housing Act, as well as providing rental assistance, public housing, and housing vouchers for those who cannot afford housing on their incomes. Our 45th president had proposed deep cuts in the HUD budget, but the budget that was passed on March 23, 2018, just hours before the government was scheduled to shut down, actually adds money to the HUD budget, especially in the rental assistance and public housing capital funds program. Still, cuts are scheduled for the next fiscal year, and the issue of non-discriminatory and affordable housing remains a pressing one.

But will HUD Secretary Ben Carson enforce the Fair Housing Act and effectively administer an agency that

Target Settles Employment Discrimination Suit

By AFRO Staff

Target Corp. recently reached a $3.7 million settlement with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund over a lawsuit that alleged the major retailer used a criminal background screening policy that discriminated against Blacks and Latinos.

“Target’s background check policy was out of step with best practices and harmful to many qualified applicants who deserved a fair shot at a good job,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel at LDF, in a statement.

LDF, in partnership with the law firm of Outten & Golden LLP, filed the suit

on behalf of a class of job applicants.

According to the complaint, Target

used an overly broad and outdated system that screened applicants for prior

18

convictions that happened long before the applicants sought employment with Target or that were not related to the positions being sought.

For example, according to the complaint, lead plaintiffs Carnella Times and Erving Smith interviewed with and received conditional employment offers from Target. However, the offers were later revoked when the company discovered Times had earned two misdemeanor convictions 12 years before and Smith had a decadeold drug-related felony.

Under the settlement, Target will institute a hiring process for class members to obtain jobs at any of its approximately 1,800 U.S. based retail

stores. Those who would not benefit from a job will get a cash award. Additionally, the giant retailer will hire experts to review and revise its background check process. And, Target will contribute to nonprofits that assist ex-offenders with re-entry.

“I faced many challenges because of a conviction in my early twenties,” said Smith. “But with perseverance, a great support system, and the opportunity to obtain a living wage, I have become a successful tax-paying member of society. Everyone deserves a second chance and I am happy that Target has agreed to offer qualified individuals jobs.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 - APRIL 17, 2018

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Working together to build a stronger community – now and forever.

T:5.1”

“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved COMMUNITY. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

AARP in Connecticut is in your community helping you live, work, and play. Our volunteers can talk to you about fraud prevention, caregiving, making your community more livable and more.

Come be apart of our COMMUNITY.

Call us at 860-548-3163 or visit aarp.org/CT for more information.

Contact us to learn about the many ways you can strengthen our community and create a personal legacy that benefits the nonprofit(s) that matter most to you.

www.cfgnh.org | 203-777-7068

19

INNER-CITY NEWS July 2016 -- August THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11,27, 2018 APRIL 17, 02, 2018 2016

IT SUPPORT TECHNICIAN:

Branford CT based business looking for a fulltime IT person who is creative, dependable, needs minimal supervision to complete tasks and has the ability to interface with a wide variety of personalities. Applicant must have the ability to manage multiple local virtual servers, 40+ work stations and assorted peripherals.

In addition, this person would need the necessary coding skills to help design and develop a web-based front end for several MSHOUSING SQL serverPREdatabase projects and assist current staff VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE with SEO and website maintenance. Applicant must be proficient with VMware, MS SQL, Visual Studio equal andof is Columbus willing to learn new software packages need. Competitive HOME INC,oron behalf House and the New HavenasHousing Authority, salary and benefits. Email resume to gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE

NOTICE

Large shoreline CT based construction company

is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apply. Pre-applications willTHE be available fromNEW 9AMYORKTO 5PMCOUNTY beginningOF Monday Ju;y SUPREME COURT OF STATE OF NASSAU 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Index 2009203371 10, will 2009 beenNo: received at the Date officesSummons of HOMEFiled INC.December Applications bePlaintiff mailied designates upon reNassau as the PlaceINC of at trial.-The Basis ofduring venuethose is Plaintiff/Defendant Resides questCounty by calling HOME 203-562-4663 hours. Completed preat:436 Bedell Terrace West Hempstead, NY 11552.-SUMMONS WITH NOTICE Plainapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third tiff re- Sides at 436 Bedell Terrace West Hempstead, NY 11552,Timothy M Celenza Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Large shoreline CT based construction company seeking full-time Accounting/Administrative Assistant for busy office environment.

The position includes both accounting and customer service/administrative duties i.e. data entry in ERP system (Sage 100), reviewing and processing AP transactions, processing billing for over-the-counter sales orders, maintenance of W-9s and insurance certificates for vendors/subcontractors and assisting with 1099/ W2 preparation. Also includes answering phones with positive attitude, scheduling customer appointments for salespersons, filing and other general duties. Minimum 5 years’ experience in an office environment, strong written and verbal communication skills, ability to multi-task, working knowledge of basic accounting, strong Microsoft office (excel/word) skills. Sage 100 knowledge a major plus. Salary: $17.00 to $18.00 per hour. Email resume to Swilloughby@atlasoutdoor.com. AA/EOE/M-F

NOTICIA

Listing: Truck Mechanic

Plaintiff against Yulia Zorina, Defendant - ACTION FOR DIVORCE To the above named Defendant: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to Serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty(30) days after the service is complete if this summons, is not personally delivered to you with in the State of New York; and in the case of your VALENTINA VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES failure to appear,MACRI judgment will be taken against you by default for theDISPONIBLES relief demanded in the notice set forth below. Dated: December 2, 2009 Timothy M Celenza, Plaintiff Pro INC,Terrace en nombre deHempstead, la Columbus NY House y de la New Haven Authority, estáis SeHOME 436 Bedell West 11552.

NOTICE: TheHousing nature of this Action pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este to aceptando dissolve the marriage between the parties, on the grounds: DRL Section 170desarrollo subd. (2)ubicado en la calle Frank Street, New Haven. Se de ingresos The Abandonment of 109 the Plaintiff by the Defendant foraplican a periodlimitaciones of more than one year. máximos.

Las pre-solicitudes disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando 25 The relief sought is A judgmentestarán of absolute divorce in favor of the Plaintiff Martes dissolving thejulio, marriage between the se parties in this suficientes action. Thepre-solicitudes nature of any(aproximadamente ancillary or additional 2016 hasta cuando han recibido 100) relief demanded en las oficinas is:None de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición

llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

CITY OF NEW HAVEN - BID NOTICE

Immediate opening for a truck mechanic. Commercial truck experience preferred but will train if you are the right person for maintenance “hands on” to be done on trucks and trailers. Send resume to: Attn: HR Dept, P O Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

Listing: Dispatch Assistant - Immediate Opening High Volume petroleum oil company is seeking a full time skilled Dispatch Assistant with previous petroleum oil, retail or commercial dispatching experience for days, shared on call duties and weekends required also. MUST have previous dispatch experience in the oil industry, and possess, excellent attention to detail, ability to manage multiple projects, excel proficiency and good computer skills required. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept., PO Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.

Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rateor& excellent benefits BA/BS in Civil Engineering Construction Management.

Contact: Dana Briere Phone: 2-5 yrs. experience.

OSHA Certified.

Email: Proficient 860-243-2300 in reading contract plans and specifications. dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Women & Minority Applicants are Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; encouragedRED toTechnologies, apply LLC is an EOE. Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com.

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity EmployerRemediation Division Project Manager Environmental

Field Engineer

3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002;

Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com

RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record.

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860243-2300 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming Inc Employer

seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Sealed bids, to purchase the following, will be accepted by the Bureau of Purchases, Room Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory 301, 200 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06510 until 3:00 P.M., local time, on the date training Asphalt on equipment we operate.

Garrity Reclaiming Inc shown, at which time they will be publicly opened and read. Bid forms are available online Location: Bloomfield CT seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic at www.cityofnewhaven.com/purchasing.

Contact: experienced James Burke Phone: 860preferably in Reclaiming and Asbestos and Environmental Management Services 21549 April 18, 2018 243-2300 Invitation to Bid: ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer********** Road Milling Equipment.

We offer factory BOE email: jim.burke@garrityasphalt.com training on equipment we operate.

2nd Notice 242-258 Fairmont Ave Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: April 12, 2018 10 A.M. Women & Minority Applicants are Location: Bloomfield CT 654 Ferry2BR StreetTownhouse, New Haven, CT1.5 06513.

BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA CITY OF NEW HAVEN - BID NOTICE Contact:encouraged James Burke Phone: 860to apply All new apartments, new appliances, new50452 carpet, close toApril I-91 &18, I-95 Dumpster Rental ServicesVarious Schools 2018 Sealed bids, to purchase the following, will accepted byCT the Bureau of 243-2300 OldbeSaybrook, Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Purchases, Room 301, 200 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06510 until BOE highways, near bus stop & shopping center email: jim.burke@garrityasphalt.com Employer We offer excellent hourly rate & (4 Buildings, 17 Units) 3:00 P.M., local time, on the date shown, at which time they will be publicly Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: April 11, 2018 9 A.M. Women excellent & Minoritybenefits Applicants are Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 opened and read. Bid forms are available online at www.cityofnewhaven.

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project 654 Ferry Street New Haven, CT 06513. encouraged to apply com/purchasing.

Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Emergency Lighting Systems 50453 April 18, 2018 NHPS Busing Service 21547 May 2, 2018 CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast-We offer excellent hourly rate & BOE Employer BOE Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates Pre-Bid Conference: April 17, 2018 10 A.M. 200 OrangeShingles, Vinyl Siding, Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid 11, Classes 2018 10 A.M. in-place Concrete, Asphalt excellent benefits in response to the Church’s MinistryMeeting needs. TheApril cost is $125. start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30Street New Haven, CT 06510, Bureau of Purchases, Third 3:30Ferry Contact: Street Chairman,New Deacon Joe J. Davis, B.S. 654 Haven, CTM.S., 06513 Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework,

NEW HAVEN

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

(203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

On CallHaven, Carpentry and Repairs 50450 St. New CT BOE Non-Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting April 12, 2018 11 A.M. 654 Ferry Street New Haven, CT 06513

April 18, 2018

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY April 18, 2018

On Call Dumpster Rental Services 50451 BOE

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour On Call Public Address Systems Repairs 50483 April 18,Street, 2018 until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith BOE Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Pest and Rodent Control 50454 18, 2018 Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith StreetApril Seymour.

BOE

Window April 19, 2018 A pre-bidTreatments conference50456 will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith BOE

Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

On Call Landscaping 50490 April 25, 2018 BOE Bidding documents are available from Seymour Authority OfMandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: April 18, the 2018 10 A.M.Housing 654 fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Ferry Street New Haven, CT 06513

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

Floor Conference Room, Room 301.

Mechanical, Electrical, PlumbingMay and2,Fire NHPS Special ED Busing Service 21548 2018Protection.

BOEThis contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer Pre-Bid Conference: April 17, 2018 10 A.M. 200 Orange Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Street New Haven, CT 06510, Bureau of Purchases, Third Floor Conference Room, Room Bid301.

Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Equipment. Must have a CDL License, Unitized Breakfast 21550 Anticipated Start: Management and Budget- BOE

April 2018 clean driving record, capable of operating August 15,26,2016 Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer heavy equipment; be willing to travel Project documents available via ftp link below: Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Equipment.

Must have a CDL License, Experienced Construction Laborer

excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits clean driving record, capable of operating Contact: Dana be Briere Phone: Position a minimum yearsLang experience in general conheavy equipment; willing to travel Fax requires or Email Questions & Bidsofto:2Dawn @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com 860-243-2300 Email: struction HCC work.

Competitive salary and benefits available.

Must the Northeast & NY. We offer encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certifiedthroughout Businesses dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com hold a current OSHA 10Construction certificateCompany, to apply32for job and current CT 06483excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Haynes Progress Ave,aSeymour, valid CT driver’s license. Position requires taking and passing Women & Minority Applicants are Contact: Dana Briere Phone: AA/EEO EMPLOYER a drug test/background check. To apply send resume to Tadeencouraged to apply 860-243-2300 Email: MarkLLC@att.net. Women & Minority applicants are encouraged Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com to apply.

Employer Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity 20 Employer

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016- - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS APRIL 11, 2018 APRIL 17, 2018

Dispatcher

CITY OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT - REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Direct Distributor Commodity Purchase

NOTICE

Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized, detail-ori#2018-04-1210 ented candidate to join its truck dispatch office. Responsibilities RFP due date: Tuesday April, 24, 2018 at 11:00 AM EST. include order entry and truck ticketing in a fast paced materials RFP can be downloaded at http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Purmanufacturing VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLEand contracting company. You will have daily inchasingBureauOnline teraction with employees and customers as numerous truckloads of material cross our scales daily. We are willing to train the right HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, Michael V. Fumiatti individual that has a great attitude. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Purchasing is accepting pre-applications for Agent studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develReply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apEOE/M/F/D/V.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE/ PAYROLL

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016AND and HIGHWAY ending whenCONSTRUCTION sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have HEAVY COMPANY Mix upon Asphalt been received theorganized, offices ofself HOME INC. Applications will beHot mailied re- Plant Technician & Paving Inspector Immediate openingatfor motivated, multitask person quest by calling HOMESkills INC required: at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preThereStreet, are multiple applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Third openings in Galasso Materials Quality • A/P Accounting knowledge Control Department. NETTCP certification is preferred, Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

• Microsoft Word, EXCEL a must, Timberline, Timber Scan with at least one year of experience. Full time positions Software a plus available. Your schedule must be flexible as sometimes • Code/ Scan documents to Timberline/ Timber Scan files night shifts are required. Must be able to lift and carry 50lb Payroll (Union Multi State) buckets. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Hiring • assemble/ classify/ enter/ scan daily timesheets VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDESManager, DISPONIBLES PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. EOE/M/ • enter payroll tax, payroll associated expenses F/D/V. HOME INC, en nombreAccounts de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está Payable aceptando• Code/ pre-solicitudes parainvoices/ estudios purchase y apartamentos desarrollo enter/ scan ordersde un dormitorio en este Equipment Operators and Laborers ubicado en la calle• 109 New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos Run Frank weeklyStreet, A/P checks Galasso Materials is seeking applicants for the 2018 paving season. Experience in Week ending cash reconciliation máximos. Las •pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 paving operations is required. Must possess current OSHA 10 card, have a valid • Balance A/P accounts julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) driver’s license, and own transportation. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Reply to Enter equipment expenses Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. EOE/M/F/D/V. en las oficinas de•HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Misc . a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 • Other duties as Orange requiredStreet, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510KMK Insulation Inc.

DELIVERY PERSON NEEDED Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week, Must Have Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 435-1387

NOTICIA

Equal Opportunity Employer Minority and female candidates are highly encouraged to apply Apply: Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming 22 Peters Rd Bloomfield, CT 06002 Phone: 860-243-2300 Fax: 860-243-3100

NEW HAVEN

1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid (IFB) Boiler Preventive Maintenance and Repairs Solicitation Number: 103-AM-18-S

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is currently seeking bids from qualified and licensed contractors to respond to this Invitation to Bids for Boiler Preventive Maintenance and Repairs at several locations. Solicitation package will be available on March 19, 2018. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-bid conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 on April 3, 2018, @ 10:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than April 13, 2018 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s InvitationWebsite: to Bid: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Seal bids will be received until April 24, 2018 @ 10:00 AM, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

2nd Notice

Mechanical Insulator position.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY This company is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

242-258 Fairmont Ave GUILFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 levelThe , 1BA SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE ELM CITY COMMUNITIES/HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEW HAVEN is currently accepting applications for COUPLES ONLY for its one Send resumes & salary requirements to: Email: garrity.careers@garrityasphalt.com

All new apartments, new appliances, new I-91 & apartments I-95 ELECTRICIAN/APPRENTICE – carpet, close tobedroom at Guilford Court and Boston Terrace inOld GuilSaybrook, CT

highways, near bus stop shopping Telecommunications company looking for low voltage cable & installer familiarcenter with ford, CT. Applicants must be age 62 and over or on 100% social all aspects of indoor & outdoor cable installation, aerial bucket work, pole work, security or federal disability and over the age of 18. Applications Pet under 40lb allowed.

Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 messenger, lashing, manhole & underground installation. Company is also looking may be obtained by calling the application line at 203-453-6262, for apprentices to train. Good salary with benefits. Fax resume to 860-282-0424 or mail to Fibre Optic Plus, LLC 585 Nutmeg Road North, South Windsor, CT 06074 ext. 107. An information packet will also be provided with the ap-

(4 Buildings, 17 Units) Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate LIST Project WAITING CLOSING

CLOSING ELDERLY WAIT LIST

plication. Applications willNew be accepted until end of Framed, business Housing, day Elm City Demolition, Communities/Housing Construction, Wood Selective Site-work, Castpolice, and landlord checks are procured Authority of the City of New Haven is in-place Concrete, Asphaltclosing Shingles, Siding, in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday,by August 20, 2016 1:30the authority.

Smoke free housing. its Vinyl elderly site based waitlist

CT.Don Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Attn: Ballsieper on July of31, 2018. Credit, Certificate Program.

This isAction/Equal a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation Candidates Affirmative Opportunity Employer

Class A CDL Driver

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HOUSING

(62Appliances, and older) for the following sites: Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Residential Casework, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

▪ Constance Baker Motley This contract is subject to state set-aside and▪contract compliance requirements.

Katherine Harvey Terrace

St. New Haven, CT

with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed.

(Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off ) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480. RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

NEW HAVEN EARLY CHILHDOOD COUNCIL REQUEST FOR QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PROPOSALS

▪ Newhall Gardens ▪ Prescott Bush

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY The New Haven Early Childhood Council isAnticipated seeking toStart: August 15, 2016

Applications for these sites will no

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of quality Seymour longer be accepted after Friday April fund enhancement (QE) projects for the period available Project documents via ftp link below: 20, 2018. until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28July Smith Street, 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 for the following services: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the • on-site education consultation to prek programs Request for Proposals Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

• mental health resources for children families in prek programs; Fax orand Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Payroll & Other Human Resource Management Systems and Services

LISTA DE ESPERA CERRAR Elm City Communities / Housing Authority de la Ciudad de New Haven está cerrando su lista de espera basada en el sitio para ancianos (62 y más viejo) para los siguientes desarrollos: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Constance Baker Motley Katherine Harvey Terrace Newhall Gardens Prescott Bush

Las solicitudes para estos sitios ya no se aceptarán después del viernes 20 de abril de 2018.

• professional development trainings related to CT Early Standards, HCC encourages theLearning participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses trauma informed care and topics required

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith The Housing Authority Cityam, of New Haven d/b/a Elm Street Seymour, CTofatthe 10:00 on Wednesday, JulyCity 20, 2016.

by School Readiness and NAEYC.

Construction Truck and Equipment Head Mechanic

Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Large CT based Fence and Guard Rail contractor looking for experienced, self-motivated, responsible AA/EEO EMPLOYER

Communities is currently seeking Bids for Payroll & Other Human Resource Management Systems and Services. A complete copy of An info session will be held Monday, May 12th from 2-3pm at 54 Meadow Street, conference Ofroom 3B. To receive the RFP and for established rates for each documents are available from theVendor Seymour Housing Authority theBidding requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Collaboservice type, contact the School Readiness office ration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/ fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Denised@nhps.net 203-946-7875. gateway beginning on Monday, April 16, 2018 at 9:00AM.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

21

Head Mechanic. Responsibilities will include maintaining and repairing all company equipment and vehicles, updating asset lists and assuring all rolling stock is in compliance with state and federal regulations. Must have extensive diesel engine, electrical wiring and hydraulic systems experience. Top wages paid, company truck and benefits.

AA/EOE Please send resume to Mpicard@atlasoutdoor.com

Rampage THE INNER-CITY NEWS

Film Review

by Kam Williams

Hey, sci-fi fans, did you find it hard to stomach the sight of a human mating with another species in The Shape of Water, too? If so, have I got a movie that’ll wash the bad taste right out of your mouth.

Call me shallow, but I much prefer this old-fashioned monster flick.

Loosely based on the video game of the same name, Rampage is reminiscent of campy Japanese classics like Godzilla (1954), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs.

Godzilla (1964).

But instead of decimating Tokyo, the gargantuan creatures here have their sights set on the Windy City. Another significant difference is that Rampage is a big-budget spectacular that relies heavily on CGI and state-of-the-art special f/x.

Otherwise, you know the drill. Some ordinary animals morph into mammoth, man-eating beasts in the wake of a scientific experiment gone terribly wrong. In this case, we have a wolf, a crocodile and an albino gorilla mutating into alpha predators.

The anthropomorphic primate actually has a name, George (Jason Li-

APRIL 11, 2018

-

APRIL 17, 2018

Mutant Monsters Decimate the Windy City in Old-Fashioned Horror Flick

les). That’s because he was raised in captivity by Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson), an ape-whisperer stationed in Rwanda where he heads an antipoaching unit dedicated to the preservation of endangered species.

However, he makes a beeline to Chicago as soon as he receives word that the enormous animals have begun wreaking havoc. There, he joins forces with Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), a disgraced geneticist in need of redemption with access to an antidote.

But before the cure can be administered, brace yourself for generous helpings of horror fare, ranging from the scaling of skyscrapers, to mass hysteria in mob scenes, to my favorite, helicopters swallowed whole.

Rampage marks the third time director Brad Peyton has collaborated with Dwayne Johnson following the equally-bombastic Journey 2 (2012) and San Andreas (2015). The capable supporting cast includes Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman and Joe Manganiello.

For all the visually-captivating action sequences, what I enjoyed most about Rampage was the comic relief coming courtesy of the hero, and invariably in the middle of major mayhem, as if to remind everybody that we’re just

watching a movie. After a sightseeing boat filled with tourists flips over, Davis says, “Well, that sucks.” Then, when an iconic building is flattened, it’s, “I need a drink.” And as a menacing creature unexpectedly takes flight, he matter-of-factly moans, “Of course,

the wolf flies.”

Not only breathtaking stunts but perfect comedic timing from a beefy action star at the top of his game!

Excellent (4 stars) Rated PG-13 for violence, mass destruction, brief profanity and obscene

gestures Running time: 107 minutes Production Studios: Wrigley Pictures / Twisted Media / Flynn Picture Company Distributor: New Line Cinema

dramatically changed life – for the better. Its last lyrics conclude that “the difference is you.”

When I consider the steady stream of changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), I would alter those lyrics to “What a Difference a Director Makes.”

Mick Mulvaney, the “illegally” appointed acting director of the CFPB, has indeed radically changed the bureau. Central to these changes is his perspective that there is no need for the CFPB to carry out its mission to serve as the consumers’ financial cop on the beat—defending and protecting against deceptive, unfair and illegal practices in the financial marketplace.

For six years, America’s consumers had a bureau that won significant victories in the name of financial justice.

CFPB was so effective that 29 million consumers received nearly $12 billion. In the aftermath of the housing

crisis that devolved into a deep recession, a federal law assigned authority to accept complaints, investigate and when warranted, take enforcement actions against bad financial actors.

Rules affecting financial transactions as large as mortgages and as small as payday loans were finalized after extensive public hearings where lenders and borrowers alike were afforded the opportunity to share their respective views before any decisions were reached. The bottom line for CFPB was to act on the law’s requirement to implement financial rules of the road to protect both consumers and lenders.

Additionally, CFPB was to seek restitution for the victims of predatory and illegal practices.

Now as CFPB’s Acting Director Mulvaney has systematically implemented a series of changes that so far have weakened the Bureau’s mission statement and taken steps to handicap

the Bureau’s Office of Fair Lending that is charged with countering financial discrimination. He has also begun steps to rewrite the long-awaited payday lending rule that requires lenders to ensure that borrowers can afford to repay these small-dollar loans that come with big costs.

Even worse: he’s not yet done with rolling back consumer protections, particularly when it comes to payday and other small dollar loans. A series of CFPB investigations conducted before Mulvaney’s appointment are now in jeopardy. Instead of holding businesses accountable for debt trap loans and harassing debt collection practices, Mulvaney has reportedly dropped an investigation against National Credit Adjustors and may do the same with respect to Cash Express LLC, Security Finance, and Triton Management Group. If allowed to proceed, these investigations could to-

gether return an estimated $60 million to harmed consumers.

It’s almost as if CFPB now stands for Companies’ Financial Protection Bureau. Companies are being asked to advise Mulvaney of what they think financial regulation should look like.

Instead of investigations and enforcements, Mulvaney wants to emphasize information and education while predatory lenders pick the pockets of unsuspecting consumers.

“The CFPB is supposed to create a level playing field for consumers,” said Joanna Pearl, a former enforcement attorney in a recent article by Reuters. “I’m not sure Mulvaney sees it like that.”

Some members of Congress are even joining Mulvaney in trying to turn CFPB into a toothless tiger.

On March 22, South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham introduced a resolution that would deny consumers

What a Difference a Director Makes at CFPB

by Charlene Crowell

The Center for Responsible Lending’s Deputy Communications Director Charlene Crowell, says that concerned citizens should call or write their senators and representatives to oppose actions that weaken the CFPB.

By Charlene Crowell (Deputy Communications Director, Center for Responsible Lending) In 1959, the late Dinah Washington (1924-1963) won a Grammy Award for her R&B hit song, “What a Difference a Day Makes.” The song tells the story of how a blossoming romance

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RP inner city news full page.qxp_Layout 1 3/19/18 2:49 PM Page 1 THE INNER-CITY NEWS

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APRIL 17, 2018

THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE LaKisha Jones: To Whitney, With Love

American idol finalist pays tribute to Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner and Whitney Houston!

April 7

Fabulously Funny Females of Comedy

ft. Cory Kahaney, Karen Bergreen & Erin Jackson

April 20

Upright Citizens Brigade

Improv comedy from the troupe that launched Amy Poehler & more! Ft. SNL’s Sasheer Zamata

May 4

Ruben Studdard

Broadway Sings Stevie Wonder

Broadway’s hottest talents sing Stevie Wonder’s hits!

Ft. Kennedy Caughell (Beautiful), Corey Mach Kinky Boots), Austin Owen (Jersey Boys) & more!

May 14

Rhiannon Giddens

The Freedom Highway Tour

Co-founder of the Grammy-award winning bluegrass band, Carolina Chocolate Drops!

An Evening of Luther Vandross, Always & Forever

June 20

203.438.5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG 23

May 3

THE INNER-CITY NEWS

APRIL 11, 2018

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APRIL 17, 2018

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